NC, Ore. Daimler Trucks plants may lose 1,300 jobs

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Daimler Trucks North America is warning 1,300 jobs could be lost at factories in North Carolina and Oregon because of slower demand for freight-hauling equipment.

Portland, Ore.-based Daimler Trucks said Thursday it could cut 715 jobs at a factory in Cleveland, N.C., that builds Freightliner long-distance trucks, 400 at a Mount Holly plant that builds smaller Freightliner delivery trucks, and 80 at a Gastonia parts plant. The layoffs could hit in April if other efforts fail to address lower demand.

Daimler Trucks spokesman David Giroux said the company also will decide next month on layoffs at a Portland, Ore., factory that builds Western Star trucks. A union official told The Oregonian (http://is.gd/l0BqJq ) that Daimler Trucks has warned it may cut up to 250 workers at the Portland plant.